Debunking the Myths of Remote Working

When Yahoo! famously disbanded its remote working program in 2013 it directed a lot of attention to the concept of employees working remotely. Contrary to Marissa Meyer’s actions, remote working has continued to grow in popularity.

Now, twelve months later, we thought it the right time to debunk some of the myths surrounding it and to offer advice on how it can be managed effectively.

Myth: Remote working is a new phenomenon.

It’s important to remember that the concept of commuting and working in a fixed place (that is not your home) is a relatively new concept. Prior to the industrial revolution most people worked from home, albeit offering services attached to their home address. For example, the carpenter or stone mason had a workshop in his house and teachers often lived in the school buildings. Fast forward to the 1950s and 1960s and the popularity and affordability of telephones made teleworking common. By the 1970s, “telecommuting” was not an unusual way to work and with the introduction of the internet and email into working lives remote working has never been easier or indeed more widespread.

Myth: Remote working is just an eco-friendly fad.

Remote working has frequently been championed as a “green cause”, and extensive research has indeed shown it would significantly reduce pollution on a local and global scale. A survey by Sun Microsystems found that 98% of their employees’ carbon footprint came from their daily commutes. The environmental benefits of remote working are far-reaching and yet this argument doesn’t have quite the same impact as separate research estimating that the US economy could save $700 billion if all the American workers who could work from home actually did. As the saying goes, money talks, but let’s not overlook the potential positive impact on future generations.

Remote working has frequently been championed as a “green cause”, and extensive research has indeed shown it would significantly reduce pollution on a local and global scale.

Myth: Remote working makes you a bad manager.

On the contrary, research conducted by Regus showed employees are more productive, more energized and more motivated when they report to a manager who supports flexible working. In fact 63% saw the option to work remotely as a valuable “talent retention tool”. This is echoed by Dell’s CEO who wants to have 50% of his workforce working from home by 2020, something he believes will attract new talent to his company.

Myth: Remote working means working from home.

Remote working means what it says; working from a remote location. This doesn’t always mean “home” or even a home environment. Our customers have told us that many of their remote workers prefer a structured office environment and sign-up for hot desking in shared workspaces, bringing routine, social interaction and a healthy distinction between work and life.

Employees are more productive, more energized and more motivated when they report to a manager who supports flexible working.

Although this concept is a fairly new one it is rapidly growing in popularity. Deskmag recently revealed that 51% of all the shared workspaces in USA opened in 2013 and that 86% of all existing spaces expected to expand into new premises to feed the growing demand for quality shared workspace.

Myth: Remote working is unusual.

According to a 2012 poll by Reuters, one in five of the world’s workers now has the option to work remotely at least one day a week, and approximately 10% do their jobs remotely all the time.

The number of companies which are “primarily distributed”, meaning the majority of staff work remotely, is also increasing. Scott Burkun who wrote a memoir about WordPress.com, a successful company built by remote workers, has a list of companies that are 100% distributed with over 100 comments from other organizations adding their names to the list.

Myth: Remote working is only for those who can afford it.

It’s a misconception that only large, multinational corporations can afford to implement remote working policies and systems. In 2009, over 100,000 federal employees regularly worked from home in the US and in 2011 86% of NGOs and non-profit organisations saw remote working as one of their key priorities. Furthermore, it’s not just large organizations who invite staff to work remotely; a 2013 GFI survey of small businesses in America found that 56% had a remote workforce. It’s also interesting to note the same survey reported that 75% of these remote employees said that being able to work from home had improved their lives. (And we all know that happy employees are more productive employees!)

75% of these remote employees said that being able to work from home had improved their lives.

Myth: Remote working is complex and expensive to manage.

Never before has it been easier or more cost-effective to manage remote workers, thanks largely to the growing range of SaaS applications (software that is rented as a service, rather than purchased).

While you’re probably already familiar with some of these apps (Gmail, Google Docs, Office 365) there are many more tools to help with managing your remote workforce, such as Trello (task management), Basecamp (project management), Pipedrive (CRM) and even our tool at Findmyshift (our solution for employee scheduling).

Myth: Remote workers are less productive.

IBM found that their teleworkers were 50% more productive than staff working in office, while Cisco estimates that they saved $277 million in one year by allowing employees to work remotely. American Express’ remote workers reportedly pull in 40% more business than their office-based colleagues.

Another common consequence of remote working is employee burnout because remote workers often work too much, so always have systems in place to provide enough support staff remotely.

Myth: Remote working is all benefits.

Remote working is not a fix-all, money-saving ideology. It brings challenges that companies should be aware of. This MIT research is very effective at outlining specific problems that arise, including concerns about communication and the effects of reduced social interaction on staff. Another common consequence of remote working is employee burnout because remote workers often work too much, so always have systems in place to provide enough support staff remotely.

However, the research, feedback and our customers’ experiences all indicate that remote working brings a vast number of benefits, and there’s never been a better time to try it.